28 February 2020

Boris Johnson has threatened to crash out of the EU by the end of June – just four months away – if the broad outline of his preferred deal has not been agreed.

In a statement that has been strongly rejected across Europe, Johnson said he wants to have laid the groundwork for a trade arrangement similar to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement the EU has with Canada by summer.

France’s Europe Minister, Amelie de Montchalin, responded: “We do not accept time pressure”; while EU sources told The Times a “dramatic crisis” can be expected over the summer.

IER experts Professors Nicola Countouris and Keith Ewing have warned that a no-deal Brexit is the ambition of those who want to significantly dilute workers’ rights in their recent report for the IER.